


and i hope you know we're digging our own graves (for your mistakes)

by lumiinary



Category: MOTHER: Cognitive Dissonance, Mother 1 | EarthBound Zero | EarthBound Beginnings, Mother 2: Gyiyg no Gyakushuu | EarthBound
Genre: Blood, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotions, and alinivar, at least in the case of niiue, chapter 2 spoilers midway in, mentions of the chosen four, uhh major spoilers for cogdis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-13
Updated: 2019-07-13
Packaged: 2020-06-27 07:14:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19785880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lumiinary/pseuds/lumiinary
Summary: As Giegue plans for the destruction of Earth after being told of four chosen ones destined to defeat him, Niiue comes up with a plan of his own.





	and i hope you know we're digging our own graves (for your mistakes)

Giegue had no idea when Niiue decided to waltz into his life. 

He didn’t even know they were the same being, at least for a while.

His actions, his words; all are tied to an emotion. Quite the contrast to Giegue himself, whose actions and words are bent on logic. Another thing he noticed was his interest in humans, which he found rather distasteful, especially after his failed attempt to take over Earth. Now he continues to walk in shame, with his crew in close proximity. 

That wasn’t the end of his plans, however.

He’ll show that blasted Apple of Enlightenment what for. There’s no way a ragtag group of teenagers would show up to defeat him _again_. There’s no way.

___

_Perhaps threatening to destroy the world is Giegue’s way of coping,_ Niiue thought after a while of thinking.

Come to think of it, he is quite empty inside nowadays, compared to him. He wondered how others could gain such a mentality. But considering his failed attempt to destroy the Earth, he could see why. 

To combat against this, Niiue decided that lying around doing nothing wasn’t the best option. He couldn’t let the other part of himself persevere with his plan. Perhaps the prophecy of four chosen ones saving the world by defeating him wasn’t enough. Besides, what if something went wrong, during their journey? 

He needed to do something himself before that could happen. 

And he knew _exactly_ what he needed to do. 

Somehow, nobody questioned the fact that a gieeg looking _just like_ their Commander ended up on the ship. Nobody questioned anything at all, really. Not like that wasn’t a good thing. 

Giegue couldn’t help but have so many questions about his other half. Why he’s here, what his motives are, the reason he’s wearing that _tacky_ striped shirt. He really only told him that he _is_ him, and he probably should fault himself that his questions haven’t been answered because of his attempts to avoid him. He was too much of an oddity to face head-on, and is he really that important compared to his plans of riddling the world into chaos? 

All he knew about Niiue is that he isn’t _supposed_ to be here. His other emotions were meant to be replaced with anger and nothing else. Another side of the same coin wasn’t supposed to represent those emotions. 

He has to get rid of him in any way he can. 

It doesn’t matter now. Giegue is already focused on setting his plan into motion. That and scrapping any Starmen he deems useless, starting from the ones in the third barracks. He can deal with Niiue later. 

_Captain Niiue, huh?_ came a thought in Niiue’s mind after being assigned a new rank (more like, assigning _himself_ a new rank). Apparently he’s supposed to help with scrapping useless Starmen soldiers, but does he really have time for that? 

He had to hold off his duties as Captain for now. It’s not like he should ignore impending doom that continues to steadily creep up on the rest of the world. As much as he didn’t understand his urge to help the humans out, he knew letting Giegue succeed with his plans proved to be a red flag. 

He walked along the empty hallway. Or, it looked empty, but only somewhat, as he still saw Starmen soldiers milling about. He could hear what they were saying about him, calling him suspicious, saying he had a few screws loose, and they’re not wrong. Though some were intrigued by his presence overall, and whether or not those reactions were positive or negative are all in the eyes of the beholder. 

Niiue stopped to feel a _strong_ psychic presence, accompanied by a pang of anger. He looked up only to see Giegue standing in front of him, arms crossed, and if looks could kill, Niiue would probably be dead by his other half’s piercing stare. 

Nobody said anything. Who would say anything, in this situation? Niiue could sense the anger that settled inside Giegue. What was he mad about? Was it him? It’s gotta be him. 

Giegue wanted to yell, anything to quell the ire now developing inside his mind. He had to keep Niiue from existing; his existence is a hindrance to his plans, as well as his emotional wellbeing. The emotions he kept in the back of his mind should have been extant by now, let alone Niiue. He couldn’t let him stand in front of him any longer.

And just like that, he lunged at Niiue, arms wrapped around his throat, bursts of PSI grasped around his hands. He could hear others around the ship gasp, some of them even shouting at the scene the two of them are causing. Niiue could hardly do anything except try to get Giegue off of him, but it was hard due to his body hovering itself onto him. A pang of anxiety coursed through him, hastily seeking out his options. With that, he teleported off of him, gaining leverage.

He panted, PSI reaching his fingers, ready to make the next move. He waited for Giegue to approach, then pointed, activating an Incomprehensible Zap, a mix of his earlier anxiety and PSI coursing through his body as he did so. Giegue groaned, rubbing the body part where Niiue hit, healing it with Lifeup. He then stepped back, hurtling a burst of PSI. It missed Niiue as he got out of the way in a brusque manner. 

“Giegue, don’t!” He exclaimed, extending a hand. “You’re going to ruin the ship!” 

Once again, Giegue grabbed ahold of Niiue, hammering his fist into his body. A force of PSI accompanied the punch, making it hurt more. As Giegue let go of Niiue, his other half kneeled down, forcing a cough, decorating his hands with blood. With a shaky hand, he began to use Lifeup Ω, a turquoise glow surrounding his vision. His hands were still clammy with apprehension. Struggling to get up, he forced out another burst of PSI, seeing as refusing to fight isn’t going to get through to Giegue. 

“You’re nothing but a flaw,” Giegue said, deciding to talk for once, “A mess of emotions; a _mistake_.” 

“Oh yeah?” Niiue responded as he dodged another blow, “Well, I’m _your_ mistake, if you’re forgetting.” 

Giegue began to thrust another bout of PSI. “As if I need a reminder.”

Niiue was backed into a corner, and he knew he had to do something. Knowing this, he activated PK Beam Σ, with Giegue not bothering to dodge it. It hit him square in the face, and he covered it, screaming in response. 

Part of Niiue wanted to ask if he was alright, though another part of him told him not to. But he decided to do the dumb thing and ask anyway. He dropped down to his knees, his red cap wobbling as he did so. “Giegue, are you-” 

A blast of PSI shot Niiue where he stood, one that glowed red, yellow, and blue. It was a PSI power he’d never seen before. It was odd, in a sense. Then again, everything about Giegue is odd, including himself. 

Giegue was still on the ground, blood streaming from his eyes, somehow. If Niiue wasn’t able to get to him, he might as well defeat him until he gives up himself. Something told him that it would take a while for that to even happen. 

“Please…” He rasped, and Niiue could tell he was being guilt-tripped. He knew Giegue was aware of him being a physical manifestation of his emotions, and he knew that he could use that to his advantage. 

Niiue said nothing as he continued to blubber useless nonsense. He felt bad for him, but he couldn’t do anything about it. He had to repress his concern, since that won’t help him win the battle.

Giegue finally got up, healing himself with his own variation of Lifeup. He then proceeded to use an attack Niiue couldn’t comprehend, and he was unable to dodge it, either. 

Fortunately, Niiue had his own incomprehensible power. An Inexplicable Jolt, if you will. Sadly enough, Giegue was still able to dodge it despite his wounds still closing. 

Giegue felt the need to choke him again. Hell, he didn’t even do that last time. If he were able to do that, this fight between coexisting would be over by now. Niiue was more than ready to become the victor of this fight, but was Giegue going to let that happen? To let Niiue persist?

Giegue sprinted towards Niiue, PSI resting in his palms. The attack shocked Niiue, but he still couldn’t comprehend the attack. With that, Niiue shot out another PK Beam, hoping it would hit. It didn’t, as Giegue caught it before he could follow through with the attack.

“What makes you think you can beat me?” 

To be honest, Niiue didn’t know. He wasn’t too certain that he would be able to defeat his other self, but he knew he had to. Because someone fucking has to. 

Niiue held his breath, the question continuing to settle inside his brain. Despite being able to form his thoughts into words, he didn’t know if it was enough for Giegue to handle. With that, he refused to answer, focusing on the fight. 

Giegue said nothing as well, launching more bursts of PSI. Niiue did the same, as well as attempting to dodge Giegue’s fast-paced attacks. He mostly failed, however, causing him to use Lifeup γ most of the time instead of getting a hit in. 

Giegue wanted to laugh. Victory was already starting to become in his grasp. He could _feel_ it. 

Despite how much healing he had done beforehand, the blood still stuck to Niiue like a parasite. He was starting to lose faith in the battle, but he knew he couldn’t do that. He knew he couldn’t. But what was he supposed to do!? He’s up against the Transcending Lord, the future Cosmic Destroyer!

_It’s not over… not yet…_

Healing continued to do him well. Giegue continued to fight aggressively, his claws tightly handling Niiue’s throat. PSI accompanying the attack didn’t make it hurt any less. 

Niiue felt as if he was going to die if he didn’t do something. Asphyxiated, he curled his fingers, about to use another Incomprehensible Zap in order for Giegue to let him go. It was successful, and Niiue felt the wind once knocked out of him go back to his body. 

How was Niiue able to survive? This had to be a miracle of some sort! At this point, Giegue would’ve killed him by now.

So why is he still alive?

The thought was shoved to the back of Giegue’s mind. For now, at least. He had to focus on the battle. He didn’t want Niiue to win, did he? And if he did, his reputation as Commander would go further into the drain. His species was once perfect until he pulled that stunt. If only he wasn’t raised by those bastards he considered his parents. Maybe then, he wouldn’t have had the intent to destroy the Earth by his own two hands. 

Niiue still had PSI left in him, somehow. He felt as if he used so much, and he was surprised that there was still a lot more coursing throughout his body. A feeling of gladness welled up inside him, giving him the confidence to finish the fight. 

Red, yellow and blue flashed before his eyes. He could’ve sworn he heard Giegue mutter “PK Rockin’,” whatever that meant. Was that the name of the move he used earlier? It’s probably a move only Giegue can use, but from what he’s seen of the prophecy told by the Apple, he remembered one of the chosen four being able to use it. Could that mean…? 

He shook the thought out of his mind. He shouldn’t be thinking about that right now. He can worry about the Apple’s prophecy once he defeats Giegue. 

Is Niiue really that confident about defeating him? Sure, Giegue’s strength has depleted since his defeat at the hands of Ninten, but that didn’t mean he’s gotten rusty since then. Or maybe he has. The outcome of the fight will dictate that.

It became more clear now that they were the only ones in the hallway. Everybody had left the room, possibly to avoid getting hurt and scolded by their Commander. Were their presence really that menacing to them? It made sense in the context of Giegue, but to Niiue it didn’t. Did that mean that they knew of Niiue’s true identity? 

“Hey, Giegue,” Niiue began, “I’ve been thinking, maybe we should stop doing this? How about we make amends for once, just in case this whole thing goes too far.” 

Giegue scoffed at that. “You’re thinking of stopping, now? You’re the one that started this mess.”

 _Actually, it was really you._ Niiue wanted to say, but couldn’t in order to avoid pissing him off. It was for the better. 

Niiue was shot with another blast of PSI. He struggled to get up, but wasn’t able to. He couldn’t speak either. He only stared in shock as Giegue started speaking once more. 

“I’ll just finish you myself, then.” 

Niiue teleported out of the way. He should have known that attempting to get through to him was useless. He knew, but it didn’t hurt to try, right? 

Before Giegue could do anything else, a bang vibrated throughout the ship. Niiue swiftly got up, trying to trace the source of the sound.

Something tore into the engine. He didn't know what, but something tore into the engine. It was probably because of their fight, but he knew he shouldn’t be thinking of that now. He knew something needed to be done. He had to become the perfect captain the ship wanted him to be. He needed to go and tell them, specifically the Starman soldiers, what was up. It wasn't like he didn't hold himself responsible for existing anyway; a little more responsibility would do him good. 

Giegue sighed, preparing to teleport. Niiue was about to stop him from doing so, but he was aware that it wouldn’t solve anything, at least right now. He’ll deal with him later. Now, he has to set his plan into motion. 

He ran, trying to gather all the higher ranking Starmen. He needed them to teleport off the ship, and _fast_. It would be thirty minutes until the ship loses oxygen, and he didn’t want to lose soldiers. 

He went through each of the barracks, warning everyone of what was to come. He had them gather inside a tiny room, then rushed to get more. He announced what’s going to happen into the intercom, doing anything he can to warn them. Perhaps he should put the supposedly scrapped Starmen to use as well, as he needed anything he can at this point. 

Once everyone was present, he told them of their current predicament. He didn’t want them to panic, so he told them of the situation in the most humorous way he could muster. 

“It tore directly into our engine, giving us about… thirty minutes to evacuate. As Starmen, you should have no problem using PSI Teleport to leave the ship, right? We’ve only got about ten minutes now that I’m done talking, of course.” 

Unfortunately, nobody laughed at his attempt at a joke, but this is a serious situation, so he could see why. He couldn’t help but peer at the Starman soldiers awkwardly, however.

He wasn’t worried about how they would get off the ship. Most of them are high ranking Starmen anyway, so at least they’re able to safely teleport off. A few minutes passed, making it ten more minutes until the ship loses oxygen for good. 

As he was speaking to his crew, he noticed another Starman, a low ranking one at best, appear at the entrance of the room. Looking at his emblem, he could see that he was supposed to be one of the Starmen waiting to be deactivated. So what was he doing here? Niiue couldn’t help but glance at him oddly. 

He sent the others on their way, putting their safety over his. He now has to focus his attention on the low-ranking one. Apparently, his name is Larice. He didn’t know his life story or anything, but something inside him told him that he needed to help him.

It’s his first impression, so Niiue decides to poke fun of Larice’s ranking by telling him his rank is too low to teleport, convincing him that he’s going to end up dead. At this, Larice became shocked, but he couldn’t see it on his face. 

Niiue laughed, telling him that he was still needed, and that he should head to the airlock. 

He could tell that Larice felt rather uncomfortable with his presence, but nonetheless lead the way, with Niiue not far behind. For some reason, Niiue could tell that he has potential for something great, he just didn’t know what it was yet.

Larice couldn’t help but glance at Niiue once he was in his peripheral vision. He wore a blue shirt with a yellow stripe down the middle, as well as a red and blue baseball cap. He sure found him unusual, as he’s never seen an alien wear clothes from Earth before. He decided to ignore why he’s wearing them as he continued to trudge forward. 

Niiue was familiar with this hallway. He’s seen Giegue enter it a few times, but he never understood the purpose. It made him wonder if he should consider taking the lead for a bit, as Larice wasn’t entirely familiarized with said hallway.

Nevertheless, Larice pushed forward, and he admired that about him. The two of them passed by the robot (Niiue never knew why that was there) and climbed down the ladder. They were almost out of this section of the ship.

The duo hopped down a flight of stairs and into the airlock. But before they could do that, Niiue had to unlock it, as he was the one that owned the key. 

As they entered the airlock, flashes of red dyed their field of vision. Niiue turned to Larice, telling him that he planned to go on ahead. Before he was gone, he warned him to watch out for any space critters loitering about. With that in mind, he ran ahead, knowing full well Larice could take care of himself now. 

Larice was left to his own devices, with ten minutes left to spare. He watched as Niiue got smaller and smaller as he ran, looking more desperate as he did so. He didn’t mind getting into the fray as long as he didn’t get too injured. He didn’t consider himself to be the most substantial Starman on the planet. 

As he teleported around the airlock, UFOs blocked him, asking for a fight. Fortunately, they were easy, and all Larice had to do was shoot out some PK Beams (and normal physical beams) and they were scrapped. With that, he was hoping he could catch up with Niiue in time, as he didn’t want to keep him waiting. 

The ship was a lot prodigious than Larice remembered. He’s pretty sure he’s never been to this section of the ship, as he mainly spent time in his barracks and outside the ship whenever he needed to do a mission. Good thing he doesn’t need to do that anymore, though!

More enemies blocked his way, and he defeated them in a flash. He was glad they were easy enough, as he didn’t want to die alone here.

Finally, after teleporting all this way, he managed to catch up with Niiue. Niiue, with a determined look on his face, was staring at what looked to be a security robot. Larice has seen these things around before, but he was wondering what it was doing here. Was it aware of Larice’s planned escape? 

“Watch out,” Niiue warned, “Here he comes!” 

With eight minutes left to spare, it was time to fight.

Larice put up a shield, knowing how weak he is now. Though he’s sure that Niiue can stand his own, which he assumed he could, due to his overwhelming presence. 

The robot thrust out PK Fire, and Larice was hit pretty badly. Niiue healed him quickly, then cast a move Larice wasn’t familiar with. It didn’t even have PK in the name!

Niiue seemed to be taking care of this, but that didn’t mean the robot wasn’t going to put up a fight. The robot shot beams from its eyes, and Larice took the initiative to dodge. Larice shot the robot using a beam of his own, while Niiue used another one of his unintelligible powers. 

_Seven minutes left_. 

The robot was getting weaker and weaker with each second that passed, and Larice found that to be a good thing. As it was on its last legs, Niiue activated his variation of PK Beam, and with that, the robot was no more.

Niiue nodded, telling Larice to get his “metal carcass” into the room that stood before them. Larice did what he asked, coming across a massive ship. This must be the ship that will help him escape!

Niiue told him that the ship was a one-seater, meaning that he’ll be going alone. Larice wanted to ask “but what about you?” and he only told him that he’ll be keeping contact with him. It’s the only thing he can tell him until he reveals his plan. For now, he decided to tell him to find a mook on Saturn, infamously known for his odd coloration (seriously, what kind of mook is _blue_??). As well as that, Niiue also told him that he’s going to turn him into a fully-fledged Starman. 

Larice didn’t question any of this as he climbed into the ship. As long as he had a mission to accomplish that wasn’t under Giegue and he was able to find freedom, he was fine. He now has to focus on finding that mook, as well as figuring out how to fly a ship. 

Niiue waved as Larice and the ship faded from his line of sight. He didn’t know what sort of shenanigans would unfold as Larice and the mook would soon meet, but he was confident. Confident that this plan would succeed, and that the future chosen four would defeat Giegue for good. He hoped, however, that he would soon be confident to tell the upcoming Applechasers about his true identity. 

**Author's Note:**

> oh heck another cogdis fic
> 
> welcome back to another episode of "i title my fics after edgy songs"
> 
> i've held this off since like april of this year, and recently i decided to actually finish this thing. i've always wanted to explore giegue and niiue's 'relationship.' so uhh yea
> 
> also don't ask me why giegue has pk rockin this early. i forgot what his other abilities are


End file.
